Topping-off Ceremony for New Student Engagement Center to Feature Beam Signed by More Than 1,400 Students

WHAT: A new student engagement center at UMass Lowell will be topped-off with a 34-foot-long steel beam featuring the electronic signatures of more than 1,400 UMass Lowell students on Wednesday.

UMass Lowell, UMass trustees, elected officials and members of the Lowell community will celebrate the milestone in the construction of a $95 million, 143,643-square-foot student center at University Crossing on Pawtucket Street that will serve as a central point between the university’s campuses and connect them with Lowell's downtown business and cultural district.

With the majority of students away from campus for the summer, UMass Lowell provided the opportunity to participate in a “virtual beam-signing” through its website. The response was overwhelming, with more than 1,200 signatures submitted within 24 hours and more than 1,500 total including faculty and staff. The signatures will be adhered to the beam, which will be signed by the construction team and event attendees prior to the 11:30 a.m. speaking program. After the program, the beam will be raised by a crane to complete the building’s steel structure.

UMass Lowell acquired the former St. Joseph’s Hospital in 2011 to make way for University Crossing. Located between Merrimack and Salem streets in the city’s Acre neighborhood, the site is a half-mile from Lowell City Hall and within walking distance to UMass Lowell’s three campuses. When the four-story student center is completed in 2014, the 230,000-square-foot complex, which includes a renovated building on Salem Street, will serve as a hub of student activity, featuring a flagship bookstore, food court, meeting spaces for student organizations and a one-stop center for student services. University Crossing and its amenities will also be accessible to the public.